Security is the condition of being protected against danger or loss. Security is a concept like safety. The nuance between the two is an added emphasis on being protected from dangers that originate from outside. Individuals or actions that encroach upon the condition of protection are responsible for the breach of security.
There is an immense literature on the analysis and categorization of security. Part of the reason for this is that, in most security systems, the “weakest link in the chain” is the most important. The situation is asymmetric since the defender must cover all points of attack while the attacker can simply identify a single weak point upon which to concentrate their efforts.
Of interest in the field of security is school security, which encompasses all measures taken to combat threats to people and property in education environments. School security, commonly referred to as school safety, concerns the sheltering students from violence and exposure to drugs, gang activity, and other harmful elements and events. Like most public places, schools are at risk for violence from outside intruders in addition to students and faculty because of the high traffic of potential assailants and the availability of victims. The vulnerability of schools to shootings is evident by the hundreds of shootings that have occurred in schools through the United States since 1990, compared to the approximately 50 school shootings the previous 30 years. While school bombings are less frequent than school shootings, a 2016 United States Bomb Data Center Explosive Incident Report found that education-related buildings are threatened more than two times that of any other target.
Because of the inherent vulnerability of schools to shootings and bombings, most schools throughout the United States implement various premises security measures designed to bolster school safety. For instance, since 2013 the majority of public schools lock or monitor doors and gates to control school access. Metal detectors are also employed at school entrances to prevent weapons from being brought into the schools. Surveillance systems, identification cards and badges, and security fencing are also now commonly employed. While these means of premises security, measures designed to circumvent attackers or intruders, are widely employed in public and private schools, and often in office buildings, military bases, hydroelectric plants, etc., they are either ineffectual, expensive, or require costly specially-trained security personnel. Given these and other deficiencies in the art, the need for continuing improvement in the art of premises security is evident.